Thursday, March 5, 2020

Review - Havenfall (Havenfall, #1) by Sara Holland





Title: Havenfall (Havenfall, #1)
Author: Sara Holland
Pages: 320
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Release Date: 3rd March 2020


Blurb from Goodreads:  

Hidden deep in the mountains of Colorado lies the Inn at Havenfall, a sanctuary that connects ancient worlds--each with their own magic--together. For generations, the inn has protected all who seek refuge within its walls, and any who disrupt the peace can never return.


For Maddie Morrow, summers at the inn are more than a chance to experience this magic first-hand. Havenfall is an escape from reality, where her mother sits on death row accused of murdering Maddie's brother. It's where Maddie fell in love with handsome Fiorden soldier Brekken. And it's where one day she hopes to inherit the role of Innkeeper from her beloved uncle.


But this summer, the impossible happens--a dead body is found, shattering everything the inn stands for. With Brekken missing, her uncle gravely injured, and a dangerous creature on the loose, Maddie suddenly finds herself responsible for the safety of everyone in Havenfall. She'll do anything to uncover the truth, even if it means working together with an alluring new staffer Taya, who seems to know more than she's letting on. As dark secrets are revealed about the inn itself, one thing becomes clear to Maddie--no one can be trusted, and no one is safe . . . 


Sara Holland takes the lush fantasy that captured readers in Everless and Evermore and weaves it into the real world to create a wholly captivating new series where power and peril lurk behind every door.











My Review:

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Bloomsbury YA and the Fantastic Flying Book Club*




 

There’s more to the small town of Havenfall than there seems – the inn sits on tunnels that lead to different worlds, the doors to some of which are open, others have been sealed shut.

Maddie Morrow’s uncle runs the inn, and for Maddie the inn is a haven, somewhere she can forget her troubles and be herself.

Maddie hopes to take over from her uncle in the future and plans to use the summer as a chance to show her uncle that she is ready.

But Maddie soon finds herself in over her head when her uncle is injured, leaving her in charge, with a monster on the loose and her best friend missing.

Can Maddie keep everyone safe?

What secrets will she uncover?




Havenfall was one of my most anticipated 2020 reads, but, unfortunately, I ended up not enjoying it.

The premise of Havenfall was intriguing and interesting, but I felt like it didn’t reach its potential for me.

The setting was interesting and I would like to find out more about the different worlds.

Maddie was an okay protagonist and I felt sorry for her – she’d had a tough time of things and the inn was her safe place until suddenly it wasn’t.

None of the characters stood out for me and there were a few times when I thought a character said something odd and Maddie didn’t question it.

The plot was okay, but I felt like the pacing could have been better as it did drag for me in places.
I guessed several of the plot twists early on, so found Havenfall fairly predictable, but there were some things that surprised me. 
 
I found that I didn’t care what happened to the characters.

The writing was easy to follow most of the time, but I wasn’t gripped.

I’m really disappointed that I didn’t enjoy this more as Havenfall had a lot of potential and I was excited to read it.



Overall, this was an okay read.





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